The present invention relates to compounds which inhibit tyrosine kinase enzymes, compositions which contain tyrosine kinase inhibiting compounds and methods of using inhibitors of tyrosine kinase enzymes to treat diseases which are characterized by an overexpression or upregulation of tyrosine kinase activity such as cancer, diabetes, restenosis, arteriosclerosis, psoriasis, angiogenic diseases and immunologic disorders (Powis, G.; Workman P. Signaling targets For The Development of Cancer Drugs. Anti-Cancer Drug Design (1994), 9: 263-277; Merenmies, J.; Parada, L. F.; Henkemeyer, M. Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Signaling in Vascular Development. Cell Growth Differ (1997) 8: 3-10; Shawver, L. K.; Lipsosn, K. E.; Fong, T. A. T.; McMahon, G.; Plowman, G. D.; Strawn, L. M. Receptor Tyrosine Kinases As Targets For Inhibition of Angiogenesis. Drug Discovery Today (1997) 2: 50-63; all herein incorporated by reference).
Tyrosine kinases play a critical role in signal transduction for several cellular functions including cell proliferation, carcinogenesis, apoptosis, and cell differentiation (Plowman, G. D.; Ullrich, A.; Shawver, L. K.: Receptor Tyrosine Kinases As Targets For Drug Intervention. DN&P (1994) 7: 334-339). Inhibitors of these enzymes are useful for the treatment or prevention of proliferative diseases which are dependent on these enzymes. Strong epidemiologic evidence suggests that the overexpression or activation of receptor protein tyrosine kinases leading to constitutive mitogenic signaling is an important factor in a growing number of human malignancies. Tyrosine kinases that have been implicated in these processes include Ab1, CDK's, EGF, EMT, FGF, FAK, Flk-1/KDR, HER-2, IGF-1R, IR, LCK, MET, PDGF, Src, and VEGF (Traxler, P. M. Protein Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Cancer Treatment. Exp. Opin. Ther. Patents (1997) 7: 571-588; Hence, there is an ongoing need to investigate novel compounds that can be used to regulate or inhibit tyrosine kinase enzymes.